Rachel McMillan: The Mozart Code

 By Kelly Bridgewater

No matter how you might try to hide in a war to escape your past, it is always close at hand.

Lady Sophia Huntington Villiers is no stranger to intrigue, as her work with Alan Turing’s Bombe Machines at Bletchley Park during the war attests. Now, as part of Simon Barre’s covert team in post-war Vienna, she uses her inimitable charm and code name Starling to infiltrate the world of relics: uncovering vital information that could tilt the stakes of the mounting Cold War. When several influential men charge her with finding the death mask of Mozart, Sophie wonders if there is more than the composer’s legacy at stake and finds herself drawn to potential answers in Prague.

Simon Barrington, the illegitimate heir of one of Sussex’s oldest estates, used the previous war to hide his insecurities about his past. Now, he uses his high breeding to gain access to all four allied quarters of the ruined city in an attempt to slow the fall of the Iron Curtain. He has been in love with Sophie Villiers since the moment he met her, and a marriage of convenience to save Simon’s estate has always kept her close. Until now, when Sophie’s mysterious client in Prague forces him to wonder if her allegiance to him—and their cause—is in question. Torn between his loyalty to his cause and his heart, Simon seeks answers about Sophie only to learn that everything he thought he knew about his involvement in both wars is based on a lie.

 

My Thoughts:

The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan is a post World War II story that is supposed to have the main heroine looking for a lost Death Mask of Mozart, the composer. While I love the cover on the story, the story does not live up to what should be inside the story. First, the story takes place after World War II, so the heroine is trying to uncover historical artifacts that the Nazi had stolen during World War II. Great! I can really get behind a treasure hunt story. But that is not what this story is about. The main heroine and her "love" are what the story is focused on. The plot moves back and forth between their courtship, marriage, and the present day. Emotions fly across the page. But I wanted a treasure hunt. I do not mind if the romance intermingles with the plot, but the story does not focus on what the characters are doing. Once in a while, McMillan goes back to the hunt for the death mask of Mozart, but it does not seem that important. While the issues with the plot did not work for me at all, McMillan is a wonderful creating at bringing this post World War II world to life. I enjoyed traveling through the countryside and the rubble of the setting. I love how she evaluates the story's importance with her writing. As for the characters, they also appeared indifferent to what McMillan wanted them to do. They did not see the importance of finding these items. It appeared to be more important at showing their relationship than what they need to accomplish. The first chapter promised to deliver a hunt for the Mozart mask, but the story does not deliver. The plot was seriously lacking depth.

I received a complimentary copy of the Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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